Starlite boutique is a dress shop owned by Madeline Abbott in Brooklyn Heights, she a talented dressmaker and clothes designer. After Madeline’s marriage ended, she starts a social club at night in her shop, a safe place for women to meet and forget about their troubles. Some of the ladies to chat, others listen to music, dance, and sing, read poetry, have a drink and sleepover.

Elaine Huxley joins the club, she’s English, and living with her fiancée Tommy. Elaine's unhappy in her relationship, Tommy’s drinking too much and he doesn’t work. If she leaves him and gets a job, she worries Tommy’s life will spiral completely out of control and she will be to blame.

Lisa O’Malley works as an air hostess, and is madly in love with Billy. Out of the blue, Billy fails to pick her up from the airport, he stops calling and Lisa doesn’t know why? She starts to visit the Starlite, she realizes her whole life revolved around what Billy wanted to do, keeping him happy and worrying about the dreaded weigh ins to keep her job.

When Fred Abbott starts lurking around, Madeline doesn’t trust him, she worries about her own and her friend’s safety at Starlite? The women rally around Madeline, determined to keep Starlite open and do what every it takes to keep Madeline safe.

Glimmer As You Can is a story set in the 1960’s, it’s about how women’s roles and expectations changed at the time and they felt empowered. However, societies and most men’s attitudes hadn’t changed, they saw women’s liberation as a threat, why would women need to meet at night and it has dire consequences for one member of the Starlite club.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review, Danielle Martin handled difficult subjects in her book with sensitivity, and four stars from me.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KarrenReadsH...2021-netgalley-reading-challenge netgalley netgalley-edelweiss-202119 s MicheleReader800 140

It’s 1962 and located in Brooklyn Heights is a dress shop called The Starlite which is owned by Madeline, a talented dress designer and ex wife of a local councilman. After hours, the shop becomes a club, a haven for women young and old looking for a true sisterhood. The women read poetry, dance, sing and escape their own worlds filled with restrictions. Within this diverse group of women, we get to know Elaine, who is living with her alcoholic fiancé and works as a fact checker for a newspaper. And Lisa, who works as a Pan-Am flight attendant and loves her job but views it as temporary as she has set her sights on getting engaged while overlooking her boyfriend Billy’s many faults.

The Starlite gives the women strength to look beyond the limitations society has bestowed upon them. When tragedy strikes, will their sisterhood hold them together?

The early 60s is an interesting time in history and author Danielle Martin does a good job creating the right feel for the period. While on the cusp of great societal changes, when this book takes place, women are still second class citizens. Most of the male characters in the book are either pathetic or horrible which seems a bit too much. You’ll root for the women while realizing how much times have truly changed.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Alcove Books and the author for an advance copy of Glimmer As You Can. I was born and raised in Brooklyn and this book offered a nice journey back in time to a place I know so well.

And isn’t that a great book cover?

Review posted on MicheleReader.com.12 s Whitney3

Enjoyed reading about the spirit of friendship between the characters in this book. Couldn't put it down.12 s Rosemary ReeveAuthor 10 books25 Read

Character-focused, historical women's fiction set in early 1960s Brooklyn. Women from different walks of life but constrained by the same societal limitations find stolen moments of freedom at a social club run by the bullied ex-wife of a corrupt politician.

Excellent development of the female characters. Each seems distinct and relatable, from the naïve flight attendant to the fact-checker who wants to be a reporter. The historical setting is well drawn, and the introduction of events the Cuban Missile Crisis is deftly handled, providing a mounting sense of peril in the narrative and a motivation for a character's leap of faith.

The male characters are not so well developed. Except for one peripheral character, they are one-dimensional disasters, varying only in the primary misery they inflict - lecher, liar, lout, lush. The linear narrative builds slowly, and the reader will see the train wreck far before the characters encounter it. That is not a criticism. It is, I think, part of the point: the women's lives are so cruelly circumscribed that it is difficult for them to avoid harm.

Some readers may be heartened by how much has changed since the time of this book, others dismayed by how little. Either way, this well-written evocation of the power to be oneself and show oneself resonates across decades.

Recommended.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.ng-20209 s Danielle MartinAuthor 1 book21

Author here. I've read this book approximately 12,000 times - that's how much I can vouch for it.

8 s Kimberly (kimmerthebooknerd)563 14

What a phenomenal read. I loved these ladies and hated the men! This novel definitely gives you all the emotions. Five stars!6 s Karen864 110

GLIMMER AS YOU CAN
BY DANIELLE MARTIN

I just loved this historical fiction novel called, "Glimmer As You Can," by Danielle Martin because it celebrates the deep bonds of friendship between women. It takes place in New York City and the time period I am guessing is the early 1960's while John Fitzgerald Kennedy was still president and it mentions the Cuban Missile Crisis. These beautiful women with warm hearts all support each other and the ages vary from young twenties to middle forties. The men were all chauvinistic mostly and maybe it was that back then but I don't remember my mother or father or anyone that I grew up with acting the way these men act in this novel.

Lisa is a beautiful young aged in her twenties and she works as a flight attendant for Pan-Am airlines. Her character was pure and it was interesting to learn that at this time period flight attendants could only work until they were 32 years old. Their jobs would be terminated if they got married and they had random weight checks and could be terminated also or would have to resign if their weight was 130 pounds. Lisa is going steady with Billy and she makes transatlantic flights and lives at home with her mother and father in a shabby apartment but a she often helps her loving parents financially. Billy is a no show after Lisa gets off from a long flight and she meets one of the other two main character's named Elaine and Madeline and she shares a cab with one of them since Billy was supposed to pick her up at the airport and he has ghosted Lisa. Lisa insists on paying back the other woman for her half of the cab ride and the other women tells her no it isn't necessary but Lisa insists and that's how she forms a friendship and gets invited to the women's social club at night which takes place in Madeline's Starlight Dress shop in Brooklyn Heights.

Madeline is the owner of the star lite dress shop and she is also a seamstress married to a cheating husband named Fred Abbott who is politically well connected and has his sights set on running for public office. First he was always away at night at men only social political activities so he says. He starts to get bolder by bringing his younger flings into their apartment. Madeline catches him and he expects her to be his fake wife. In other words, Madeline pretends to be married to him but they have their own separate lives which Madeline goes along with until she caught him with his latest lover in their home. Madeline doesn't have enough money to get her own apartment and decides to sleep on a cot in her shop. Fred divorces Madeline and she is a very strong woman who gets no financial assistance from Fred but she seems happier to be rid of him because she has her own circle of friend's that meet at night in her shop as an all women's social circle. The women read poetry, they dance to music on the record player and they eat good food and drink alcohol.

Elaine is a close friend of Madeline's and she is married to an alcoholic with a trust fund who never seems to feel he needs to get a job. He invents gadgets but none that has earned him any money. Elaine is ambitious and applies for a job at the world famous newspaper called the Chronicle. She has been college educated in a journalism degree but there are only three women that work at the Chronicle as investigative reporters. So Elaine's only option to get a dream job at the Chronicle is to be hired as a fact checker. Her husband Tommy as bad as he sounds and her have a loving but dysfunctional relationship. When Elaine goes to work her husband guilt trips her. Her sister Catherine is a jazz singer who stays with them sometimes. When Elaine goes with her sister Catherine to the Star Lite social club at night Tommy will use that as an excuse to go out and drink to get drunk staying out all night.

Billy begs Lisa's forgiveness and they get back together and he showers her with flowers and promises but Lisa has made close friend's with Madeline and Elaine and the other women and she enjoys going to the Star Lite social club every so often. She is still a flight attendant and she hopes that Billy and her will get married. Lisa doesn't Billy's father who she can smell the same cologne on Billy which turns her stomach. Billy's father was on board a flight with Lisa and she discovered that he cheats on his wife because he is with a young woman romantically involved but Lisa tries to avoid him in the flight by not serving him and she tries to stay hidden. Billy's family comes from money and he buys Lisa a huge diamond ring and proposes to her at Woolworth's over ice cream sodas. I remember how delicious Woolworth's ice cream sodas were and I used to always get one with my friend's and I would also order the french fries. I was just a young girl then and we would walk downtown and go to Woolworth's and shop and would end up getting something to eat and drink at the counter.

These three women Lisa, Madeline and Elaine seem to be the perfect support system and they are all very sympathetic and likable character's. There are many more women who attend the Star Lite social club and all of them have a great time staying up until the early hours. Anybody is woman is welcome and they sing, paint, read poetry dance and it is a haven for domestically abused housewives who also attend as well as some of the upper class women who have husband's that are into politics who know Fred. The men are all unlikable except Elaine's husband Tommy while immature I had great empathy for. At least Elaine and Tommy share a love for poetry and literature and they do love each other. I have set up the basics in this review and have not given away any major spoilers. There are tragedies that will happen making this heartbreaking at times but I loved the women's many festivities and wish there was that sort of social club consisting of women only and all three of these women will tie into each other's lives that make this a five star read. We have come a long way with women's equality since the early 1960's. I found the cheating spouses appalling and Billy's behavior bordered on crossing Lisa's boundaries. Madeline, Elaine and Lisa were realistically portrayed for their time. There are both tragedies and great bonds between women and I really loved this book and highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and older women who were alive during the 1960's JFK era.

Publication Date: November 10, 2020

Thank you to Net Galley, Danielle Martin and Alcove Press Publishing for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#GlimmerAsYouCan #DanielleMartin #AlcovePress #NetGalley5 s Kelly4

I really immersed myself in the lives of the characters in this book. I could imagine myself joining this circle of friends and connecting and relaxing in this women's social club. I was sorry to see the book end and wanted it to keep going on. Great read!5 s Enya6

I stayed up all night reading this book. This story of women who get together in a social club drew me in. I felt I was part of this group of strong and independent women. A must read. I highly recommend.5 s Caroline David816

What a beautiful, well-written look into the lives of women in the 60’s. This time period isn’t normally where a historical fiction book would land you but I loved it. The vivid descriptions, the lingo, and the lifestyles were all magnificent. historical-fiction5 s Desiree596 24

The magic and energy of Madeline’s Starlite social club will sweep you away, making you wish you could join in the fun with these lively ladies if even for just one spirited night! A nostalgic tale of hope and aspiration in a tumultuous era of change, “Glimmer As You Can” stars three women who, while in very different stages of life, each desperately need some “star light” in their lives. Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn Heights in the early 1960’s, this book is one big wallop of nostalgia – even for those of us weren’t born yet.

*A big thank you to Danielle Martin, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for providing this free Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Enter our cast: 20-something Lisa, British expatriate Elaine, and Madeline, a politician’s wife.

Lisa is a Pan Am stewardess who worries about “making weight” and who yearns to marry her boyfriend Billy – even though Billy is often disturbingly distant and cold, and despite the fact that marriage will end her time in the skies.

Elaine longs to be a reporter for the prestigious newspaper “The Chronicle”, yet she settles for applying for a fact checker role, as women typically “aren’t allowed” to be reporters – those jobs go to the men. However, her joy at applying is tempered by her fear at telling her long-time fiancé her plans, as she knows he will not be pleased she is going back to work.

Madeline, is the “glimmering light” for these ladies, along with a lively cast of several other lonely, frustrated, and battered women. As the owner of the Starlite dress shop, Madeline brings cheer and optimism into the lives of everyone she meets. When life was particularly rough in her recent past, Madeline opened the Starlite after hours as a social club for women. Here they dance, they sing, they play cards, read poetry, and generally revel in their freedom and elation, if only for an hour or two, before going back to their strictured lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the debut effort of Danielle Martin. Her writing style was top-notch and her characters conclusively believable. However, I did find myself cringing quite frequently as I read, thinking that the women in this novel must be the unluckiest women in the world, as every single last one of them had an absolute blighter of a man in their life. For this reason I am awarding four stars for “I really d it”, rather than tipping the scale over to five stars for “I loved it”. Yet, “Glimmer As You Can” was chock-full of sparkling moments and highlighted the healing power of sisterhood, both truly inspiring and read-worthy factors. I highly recommend you give it a read – and let me know what you think!

#GlimmerAsYouCan
#DanielleMartin
#AlcovePress
#NetGalleybook-club-fiction debut-novels general-fiction-adult ...more4 s Nursebookie2,334 362

If you love Beatriz Williams and Fiona Davis, you will enjoy this historical fiction by Danielle Martin.

This is a timely story about women support and friendship.

Welcome to the Starlite.

A dress shop by day and a social club by night.

But the Starlite is more than that... it becomes a safe haven for these women - women from all classes of society, each dealing with their own burden.

This story is deftly written and well researched to the time - I felt as if I stepped right into Kennedy’s world and that pivoting time of women’s revolution where women fight not just for equality, but also to end domestic abuse. This book captured all that and more in this wonderful historical fiction novel.

Martin wrote amazing characters in this immersive and addictive read that is inspirational as is heartwarming. I didn’t want this book to end.

I highly recommend this book! Amazing read!4 s Chris987 13

A story of women trying to find themselves in a world of men trying to keep them from being themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc for my honest review.3 s Michelle1,468 24

Historical fiction about three friends in Brooklyn in the 1960’s.

Lisa is a young flight attendant for Pan Am. She lives with her parents and helps with their expenses. She wants to get married to her boyfriend Billy. She will either lose her job when she gets married, gets too old for it or gains weight. One night she meets Elaine when Billy stands her up.

Elaine is just a few years older than Lisa. She’s living with her fiancée. She loves him but he drinks too much. He doesn’t work and he lives off an inheritance from his dad. She wants to get him help. Elaine gets a job at a newspaper and her fiancée doesn’t it.

Madilyn owns a dress shop and holds a women’s social club at night. It sounds pretty amazing. Women get together to read poems, to listen to music and dance. They talk to each other and support each other.
Madilyn is divorced from a shady politician who thought he could get away with anything.

I loved the social club setting. I loved the way the women supported each other. They were all so limited by their circumstances but tried to make the best of life.

The storyline got more somber after something awful happens. I’ll admit that I enjoyed the story more before that point.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley, thanks!giveaway-or-galleys history-historical-fiction3 s Andrea | andrea.c.lowry.reads600 27

What a wonderful debut book from Danielle Martin! Glimmer As You Can is a story where the women courageously rally and the men are pretty much all deplorable.

It’s 1962. In the middle of Brooklyn Heights sits the Starlite: boutique dress shop by day, underground women's club by night. Started by the shop's proprietor after her marriage crumbled, Madeline's social club soon becomes a safe haven for women from all walks of life looking for a respite from their troubled relationships and professional frustrations. These after-hour soirées soon bring two very different women into Madeline's life--Elaine, a British ex-pat struggling to save her relationship, and Lisa, a young stewardess whose plans for the future are suddenly upended--irrevocably changing all three women's lives in ways no one could have predicted.

But when Madeline's ne'er-do-well ex-husband shows up again, the luster of Starlite quickly dampens. As the sisterhood rallies around Madeline, tension begins to eat at the club. When an unspeakable tragedy befalls their sorority, one woman must decide whether to hide the truth from the group or jeopardize her own hopes and dreams.

I enjoyed immersing myself in this quick and interesting story. I was transported back to the 1960s and joined an intriguing group of energetic Boeheim women. Martin has the ability to bring you into the world of her characters and allows you to connect and feel for them as all three lead characters found themselves dealing with real problems that are still relevant to this day... which is sad in more ways than one. These struggles did not hold this group of ambitious women back, and they were there for each other when it counted. At one point I even found myself wanting to join their magical Starlite night groups. What really impressed me was Martin’s ability to write and bring together three women in different age groups that were dealing with their own individual hardships (hardships maybe putting it lightly).

If you enjoy books that are about the spirit of friendships, sisterhood and the courage and spirit it takes to live as a woman in this world, than this book is for you!

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove and Danielle Martin for my advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.3 s Stephanie1,371 33

In 1962 Brooklyn, Madeline began a women's social club at her dress shop, The Starlight after a messy divorce from her powerful husband.  The Starlight provides a place for the women's friendship to grow as they practice art, recite poetry, dance, drink and talk without the disturbance of men.  Elaine is a Stralight regular who is struggling with her fiancé after the death of his father.  After a trip home Elaine invites Pan Am Stewardess, Lisa to the club.  Lisa is worried about her relationship with long-term boyfriend, Billy and what that means for her future.  The women all convene at the Starlight for camaraderie and to forget about their troubles.  However, Madeline's ex-husband is up for re-election and isn't taking any chances with the women at the Starlight telling his secrets.   

Glimmer As You Can is a story of friendship, independence and hope for a group of women in the 1960's.  Through the stories Madeline, Elaine and Lisa we are shown how women are breaking barriers yet still contained by the constraints of their gender. Each of the women's characters are distinct and well thought out, displaying different restraints placed on them. Madeline's strength comes from her ability to power through the worst and bring other women together to help one another through.  I loved the idea of the Starlight and the atmosphere that the women created.  The Starlight showed the power of women's friendship and the spirit of the 1960's.  Elaine is trying to break into the career world with a boyfriend who is depressed and unsupportive.  Lisa loves the independence of travel, but her job is dependent on her age, weight and marital status and Lisa is feeling the pressure to be married before her age and weight deny her employment.  The conflict created  with Madeline's ex-husband and Lisa's boyfriend created suspense and danger as well as a reminder that this kind of exploitation was not that far in our past and still happens today.  Glimmer As You Can moved at a fast paced and was a great reminder of the power of women working together. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 3 s Tiffany www.instagram.com/tiffs_bookshelf 757 38

This is a story of three woman in the 60's who are thrown together and bond lasting friendships.  There is Madeline, who owns a dress shop The Starlight.  Madeline is married to a powerful man in politics who cheats on her, slanders her good name, and is a terrible excuse for a man. She finally has enough of it & finds ways to take him down a peg without losing her way of living. Elain is a young woman in a relationship going nowhere. Her boyfriend is living off his trust fund & expects Elaine to do as well. Elaine wants to work & earn her keep. What does Elaine have to do make her dreams come true? Lisa is a flight stewardess who is also in a relationship going nowhere. All of these ladies bond together through Elaine's night women's club at her shop.

I really enjoyed this book & the authors style of writing.  It is so easy going it sucks you right into the story and makes you feel part of it. She has a way of making you feel your friends of the characters. It was a very enjoyable read. If you enjoy historical fiction you will love this delight. Thank you to Netgalley  & Alcove Press for my early review copy.3 s Kathleen BasiAuthor 11 books113

Danielle Martin gives us a story of the power of women's friendships to reshape lives.

Set in the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Glimmer As You Can traces the lives of three women--a flight attendant in a time when that meant "beauty queen," an aspiring professional writer, and a talented, creative, and generous seamstress whose custom sewing shop serves as a gathering place for women to relax and be themselves in a world that wasn't ready for that kind of "girl power."

Despite the tragedies that strike in the later part of the book, this is a feel-good story about three women, all of them battling toxic relationships, who find each other and support each other as they turn around bad situations and find hope for a better future.

My thanks to Alcove and to NetGallery for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review3 s WeLoveBigBooksAndWeCannotLie424 25

Happy Pub Day to this beautiful book, Glimmer as You Can by Danielle Martin.
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